Hong Kong: Lawmakers who insulted China blocked from taking oaths

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Photos:New Hong Kong Lawmakers

Newly elected Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers thumbed their noses at Beijing at a swearing-in-ceremony to start the legislative session on Wednesday, October 12. They displayed banners with words reading "Hong Kong is not China."

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Photos:New Hong Kong Lawmakers

Youngspiration's Yau Wai-ching told the city's Legislative Council: "I do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Hong Kong nation," after laying out a flag bearing the words "Hong Kong is not China."

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Photos:New Hong Kong Lawmakers

Nathan Law, the city's youngest lawmaker, quoted Ghandi before making his oath. He also refused to leave the podium demanding that the Legislative Council secretary general, Kenneth Chen, explain his reasons for refusing to accept the oaths of his fellow lawmakers.

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Photos:New Hong Kong Lawmakers

Hong Kong rebel lawmakers shouted, banged drums and railed against "tyranny" on Wednesday when they took their oaths of office, as calls grow for a split from Beijing.

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Photos:New Hong Kong Lawmakers

A newly elected pro-democracy lawmaker, Fernando Cheung tears an oversized mock copy of controversial, proposed anti-subversion legislation as he takes oath on Wednesday.

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Photos:New Hong Kong Lawmakers

Lawmakers not only displayed flags declaring that Hong Kong is not a part of China but also called out for "democratic self-determination" for the semi-autonomous Chinese city at Wednesday's oath taking session.

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Story highlights

The lawmakers' original oaths were refused after they staged protests during the ceremony

Government gets judicial review next month

Hong Kong (CNN)There were chaotic scenes in Hong Kong's parliament Wednesday as pro-Beijing lawmakers staged a walkout to block two controversial new members from taking their oaths of office.

Pro-Hong Kong independence party Youngspiration's Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung were due to retake their oaths of office on Wednesday after their initial attempts were deemed unacceptable.

The walk out came less than a day after a High Court judge refused the government's request for a last-minute injunction to prevent the swearing-in from taking place, but granted officials' right to seek judicial review of the matter next month.

Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-ching speak to the press after a court hearing Tuesday.

Walkout

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Pro-Beijing lawmakers, who had vociferously criticized the Youngspiration pair all week and called for them to apologize, took matters into their own hands on Wednesday. They exited the Legislative Council chamber en masse, leaving the swearing-in without a quorum and unable to proceed.

Council President Andrew Leung adjourned the meeting after 15 minutes, meaning the two lawmakers will have to wait until next week, at the earliest, to retake their oaths of office.

Yau told CNN she had hoped to complete the oath taking today, and blamed pro-Beijing lawmakers for "letting their electorate down" by going against their previous condemnations of filibustering and protests within the legislature.

In a Facebook Live, pro-Beijing lawmaker Holden Chow accused the Youngspiration pair of insulting "hundreds of thousands" of people with their protest, and said the walkout was appropriate in an "emergency situation."

He accused Hong Kong's chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, of "not only abusing the judicial process but disrespecting the legislature."

The Democratic Party said Leung's actions showed a "total disrespect" for the Legislative Council, while Demosisto lawmaker Nathan Law, a former Umbrella Movement leader, said the lawsuit set a dangerous precedent for the future.

Hong Kong's Department of Justice and Leung's office did not respond to requests for comment.